Nena | |
|---|---|
 1983 promotional photograph depicting the band Nena | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | West Berlin, West Germany |
| Genres | Neue Deutsche Welle |
| Years active | 1981–1987 |
| Labels | |
| Past members |
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| Website | www |
Nena was a German Neue Deutsche Welle band formed in West Berlin in 1981. In 1983 and 1984, their German-language song " 99 Luftballons " (and its English version, "99 Red Balloons") reached number one in the singles charts of countries around the world.
The band was formed in 1981 when vocalist Gabriele Kerner (Nena) came to West Berlin with drummer Rolf Brendel, her boyfriend at the time. [1] There they assembled the other members of the band, which took its name from their lead singer's nickname (Spanish for "little girl"), which she had acquired as a toddler during a family holiday to Catalonia, Spain. [2]
The band wrote all of their songs themselves, typically working in pairs. They became overnight sensations in Germany when they performed their debut single "Nur geträumt" on German TV in August 1982, Nena herself wearing a distinctive short red miniskirt. [1] The single reached number 2 in the German charts, a position it occupied for 6 weeks, and also climbed high in the Austrian, Belgian, Dutch and Swiss charts. [3] [4] [5] [6] In early 1983 the follow-up single " 99 Luftballons " spent a further 7 weeks at number 2 before finally reaching the top slot, a position the debut album matched. [7]
By the time the band released its second album ? (Fragezeichen) in Germany in January 1984, "99 Luftballons" was starting to climb the US charts, where it reached number 2 and became one of the most successful non-English-language tracks in US Billboard chart history. With the English version of the song ("99 Red Balloons") achieving the number 1 position in the UK, [8] the band became internationally famous and in 1984 gave concerts and made TV appearances in Scandinavia, the UK, Spain and France as well as a 7-date tour (on consecutive nights) of Japan. [9] [10] An international album 99 Luftballons which comprised a combination of English and German versions of tracks from the first two German albums, performed respectably, reaching number 31 in the UK charts in mid-1984. [8]
Whilst enjoying international prominence on the back of "99 Luftballons", the band continued to enjoy domestic success in Germany with a string of hits in 1984 and the first half of 1985. The ? (Fragezeichen) album matched the band's debut album in making it to the top spot [7] and spawned two of the band's best-known and most successful singles (the title track and "Rette mich"). They also had success with a couple of songs which would eventually be included on their third studio album, Feuer und Flamme , most notably "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann".
The band was unable to follow up the international success of "99 Luftballons". An English version of "Nur geträumt" ("Just a Dream") failed to make the Billboard Hot 100 and only reached number 70 in the UK charts. [8] A second English album ( It's All in the Game , an English version of Feuer und Flamme) failed to chart.
The band's fortunes in its homeland also began to turn in the second half of 1985, with disappointing attendance levels at their concerts [1] and their successful chart run ending when the last two singles from Feuer und Flamme failed to chart.
The band's fourth and final studio album Eisbrecher ("Icebreaker"), apparently so named because it was intended to smash the mounting indifference the band was encountering, was released in late 1986. [11] Relative to its three predecessors it was a commercial failure as were the two last singles released from the album. [7] Without ever formally announcing a breakup, the band discontinued in 1987. In the same year the marriage of Nena's sister to the band's bassist Jürgen Dehmel ended in divorce [12] and Nena's 8-year relationship with the band's drummer, Rolf Brendel, also ended. [13]
After a break from the music scene during which she starred in the 1987 comedy film Der Unsichtbare and had a baby boy who died at the age of 11 months, Nena launched her solo career in 1989 going on to enjoy considerable success in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, particularly since 2002 when she re-recorded the band's biggest successes, newly arranged and produced by her former band colleague and composer of most of the band's hit songs, Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen. Since the birth of her fifth and final child in 1997, she has toured Germany more or less constantly, at least 50% of her concert setlists typically comprising tracks from the Nena band era. [14]
Throughout her solo career, Nena has continued to collaborate with former band members. Firstly, Nena's former boyfriend, Rolf Brendel, supported her as a drummer in the Bongo Girl tour in 1993. [15] Most enduring has been the link with the band's former keyboard player Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen who appeared with her on stage during the 2005 tour promoting the triple-gold achieving Willst du mit mir gehn album which he had also produced and co-written the singles for. [16] He also collaborated with Nena for the 2009 album Made in Germany , which also achieved gold status. [17] The band's former guitarist, Carlo Karges, also wrote tracks for some of Nena's solo albums in the 1990s. He died in 2002, just months before all the band's surviving members reunited on stage to perform "Leuchtturm" during Nena's triumphant Frankfurt concert which coincided with the release of the triple-platinum Nena feat. Nena album which regalvanised her solo career.
The surviving members next publicly reunited in 2017 to perform "Nur geträumt" in a television programme marking the 40th anniversary of Nena's first stage appearance. [18]
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER [19] | AUT [6] | NLD [5] | NOR [20] | SWE [21] | SWI [4] | ||||||
| Nena |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | — | — | — | ||||
| ? |
| 1 | 1 | 2 | 17 | 11 | 1 |
| |||
| Feuer und Flamme |
| 2 | 16 | 19 | — | — | 5 |
| |||
| Eisbrecher |
| 45 | — | — | — | — | — | ||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory | |||||||||||
Following the international success of the single " 99 Luftballons ", the band released 99 Luftballons, a compilation of tracks from its first two albums, with five of the songs in new English-language versions. It's All in the Game is the English-language version of Feuer und Flamme, with lyrics by Canadian singer Lisa Dalbello.
| Title | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER [19] | NOR [20] | SWE [21] | UK [28] | US [29] | |||||||
| 99 Luftballons | 23 | 16 | 2 | 31 | 27 | ||||||
| It's All in the Game |
| — | — | — | — | 168 | |||||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory | |||||||||||
| Title | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications | Album | B-side | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GER [33] | AUT [6] | BEL (FL) [3] | CAN [34] | NLD [5] | NZL [35] | SWE [21] | SWI [4] | UK [28] | US [36] | |||||
| "Nur geträumt" | 1982 | 2 | 9 | 11 | — | 7 | — | — | 5 | — | — | Nena | "Ganz oben" | |
| " 99 Luftballons " | 1983 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | — | 2 | "Ich bleib' im Bett" | ||
| "Leuchtturm" | 2 | 3 | — | — | 7 | — | — | — | — | — | "Kino" | |||
| "? (Fragezeichen)" | 3 | 4 | 19 | — | 12 | — | — | 1 | — | — | ? | "Ich lieb dich" | ||
| "99 Red Balloons" | — | — | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | 1 | — | 99 Luftballons | "Ich bleib im Bett" | ||
| "Rette mich" | 1984 | 11 | 17 | — | — | 37 | — | — | 14 | — | — | ? | "Susi K." | |
| "Lass mich dein Pirat sein" | 53 | — | — | — | 45 | — | — | — | — | — | "Keine Antwort" | |||
| "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann" | 3 | 7 | 29 | — | 13 | — | — | 2 | — | — | Feuer und Flamme | "Ganz Oben" (Live) | ||
| "Just a Dream" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 70 | — [upper-alpha 1] | 99 Luftballons | "Indianer" | ||
| "? (Question Mark)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Ich lieb dich" | |||
| "Kino (At the Movies)" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Kino" | |||
| "Feuer und Flamme" | 1985 | 8 | 18 | — | — | 45 | — | — | 14 | — | — | Feuer und Flamme | "Woman on Fire" | |
| "Haus der drei Sonnen" | 43 | — | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | "Ein Brief" | |||
| "Jung wie du" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Das alte Lied" | |||
| "It's All in the Game" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | It's All in the Game | "Let's Humanize" | ||
| "Du kennst die Liebe nicht" | 1986 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Feuer und Flamme | "Du kennst die Liebe nicht" (Live) | |
| "Mondsong" | 37 | — | — | — | 70 | — | — | — | — | — | Eisbrecher | "Schön wär es doch" | ||
| "Engel der Nacht" | 1987 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | "Zusammen" | ||
| "—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released in that territory | ||||||||||||||
| Title | Year | Album | B-side |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Kino" | 1983 | Nena | "Satellitenstadt" |
Gabriele Susanne Kerner, better known by her stage name Nena, is a German singer who rose to international fame in 1983 as the lead vocalist of the band Nena with the Neue Deutsche Welle song "99 Luftballons". In that same year, the band re-recorded this song in English as "99 Red Balloons". Nena's re-recording of some of the band's old hit songs as a solo artist, produced by the co-composer of most of them, her former Nena band colleague and keyboard player Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen, rekindled her solo career in 2002. Combined with the success of the Nena band years, she has sold over 25 million records, making her the most successful German pop singer in chart history.
"99 Luftballons" is a song by the German band Nena from their 1983 self-titled album. An English-language version titled "99 Red Balloons", with lyrics by Kevin McAlea, was also released by Nena on the album 99 Luftballons in 1984 after widespread success of the original in Europe and Japan. The English version is not a direct translation of the German original and contains lyrics with a somewhat different meaning. In the US, the English-language version did not chart, while the German-language recording became Nena's only US hit.
"Rock Me Amadeus" is a song recorded by Austrian musician Falco, for his third studio album, Falco 3 (1985). The single was made available for physical sale in 1985 in German-speaking Europe, through A&M. "Rock Me Amadeus" was written by Falco along with Dutch music producers Bolland & Bolland. To date, the single is the only German language song to peak at number one of the Billboard Hot 100, which it did on 29 March 1986.
Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen is a German keyboard player, producer and composer. He was the keyboardist of the band Nena and co-wrote their world famous hit "99 Luftballons" as well as another great hit entitled "Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann".
? is the second album by German pop rock band Nena and the third studio album to feature its lead singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. It was released on 27 January 1984, just a few months before the band's first international album 99 Luftballons, which contains songs from their debut album Nena (1983) and this album, some of them re-recorded with English lyrics.
99 Luftballons, also known as International Album, is a compilation album by German pop band Nena, released in April 1984. It was their first album released worldwide following the success of "99 Luftballons" and also the first with English lyrics. The album had moderate success in America.
Feuer und Flamme, released in 1985, is the third album by German pop band Nena and the fourth studio album of its singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. The album was a success, reaching No. 2 in Germany.
Nena feat. Nena, also known as 20 Jahre – Das Jubiläums-Album is a studio album by German pop singer Nena. It contains new versions of her hits, many with her band also called Nena, some of them duets with other singers including Kim Wilde, Joachim Witt and Udo Lindenberg. The album was first released in 2002 with a red cover and reissued with a blue cover in 2003. Both releases exist in either standard or limited edition, the latter being supplemented with a bonus CD of live tracks. The songs on the bonus CD are also reworked, suggesting that Nena may have planned to update more of her back-catalogue, although there have been no further releases in this vein.
Carlo Karges was a German musician known for his work as a guitarist and songwriter for the rock band Nena.
Reinhold Heil is a German musician, producer, and film and television composer. He initially achieved success in Germany as a member of the post-punk and Neue Deutsche Welle groups Nina Hagen Band, Spliff and Nena, and later as a music producer.
Nena is the first album by German pop rock band Nena and the second studio album of its singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. Released on 14 January 1983, it is part of the music genre called Neue Deutsche Welle in German music.
Eisbrecher is the fourth and final album by German pop rock band Nena and the fifth studio album of its singer, Gabriele "Nena" Kerner. After the band split the following year, Kerner went on to a solo career. "Mondsong" and the remix of "Engel der Nacht" were released as singles.
Bongo Girl is a studio album of German pop singer Nena, released by Epic Records on 28 September 1992. Singles from this album are "Manchmal ist ein Tag ein ganzes Leben", "Conversation" and "Ohne Ende".
Willst du mit mir gehn is a studio album by German singer Nena. It was released by Warner Music on 21 March 2005 in German-speaking Europe. The singer reunited with former band mate Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen to work on the album. A two-CD set, the Rot disc of the album was recorded in a Berlin studio, while the Orange disc was produced during a jam sessions on Majorca.
Made In Germany Live is a two-CD live album by German pop singer Nena, released on 17 September 2010. It contains her live performance at Berlin on 24 April 2010, with bonus tracks from concert dates in 2009 and 2010 on the special edition of the album. The bonus tracks include two songs by Nena’s first band, The Stripes. Of the 27 tracks featured in the album, 11 were from the “Made in Germany” album which the concert tour was promoting. Of the remaining 16, ten are songs from the 1980s and six from the 2000s, leaving Nena’s work from the 1990s completely unrepresented.
"Irgendwie, irgendwo, irgendwann" is a 1984 song by Nena written by band members Jörn-Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen and Carlo Karges. It was a commercial success in Europe. Released initially as a single, it was included on Nena's 1985 album Feuer und Flamme. Many variations and covers of the song have appeared, including samples and foreign language versions, most notably the English language "Anyplace, Anywhere, Anytime". Its various incarnations have charted over a 37-year period and in three different languages.
This is the discography of German pop singer Nena.
Gib Gas – Ich will Spass is a 1983 film which helped to launch the career of the German pop singer Nena, although it took its title from the lyrics of her co-star Markus Mörl's 1982 hit single Ich will Spass. Following the success of Nena's song "99 Luftballons", it was dubbed into English and released in the USA under the title Hangin' Out.
"Liebe ist" is a song by German recording artist Nena. It was co-written and produced along by Uwe Fahrenkrog-Petersen for her 13th studio album, Willst du mit mir gehn (2005). Selected as the album's lead single, it served as the theme song for the Sat.1 telenovela Verliebt in Berlin. Upon its release in February 2005, "Liebe ist" topped the German Singles Chart for two weeks, becoming Nena's second number-one hit, after 1983's "99 Luftballons", and her first chart-topper as a solo artist. The Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) awarded the song a gold certification for shipping 150,000 units in Germany alone. A remix of "Liebe ist" for American audiences was considered but never surfaced.
Nichts versäumt is the seventh live album by the German pop singer Nena. It is her second consecutive live album since her last studio album. The album, which was released on 9 November 2018, entered the German charts a week later at its peak position, number 27, the highest attained by a Nena live album. It reached the top 10 of music DVD charts in four countries.
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